


Another Life

by Scylla87



Category: The Following
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-02
Updated: 2015-12-02
Packaged: 2018-01-17 21:56:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1403896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scylla87/pseuds/Scylla87
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Joe is unraveling and the FBI is closing in, cult member Jacob Wells looks back on the life he lived as Will Wilson and wonders about what could have been.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Noise

Chapter 1: Noise

Outside there was noise. There was always something going on just beyond the door. Yelling, screaming, running through the halls. It always brought back bad memories. Well, not bad in the usual sense of the word. Not bad as in the kind of memories that to an outsider would appear as anything to be ashamed of. Bad as in the memories that you wish you could forget. That was always what puzzled Jacob, that it was the most mundane of things that hurt the most.

That day was no different than the ones that had come before, and as he lay in bed contemplating the day ahead it occurred to Jacob that the days that would come after would be nothing more than the same. He was starting to wonder if maybe it was the sameness that was the problem all along. He had been wondering things like that a lot in the days that passed him by. It all seemed not to add up to what he had believed that it would be, and that was becoming more and more of a problem. It was bad enough that things had clearly not worked out with Emma as planned, but now something was just not right with Joe either. He had all these hopes for when the moment would come that they would be able to stand truly face to face, but Joe wasn’t quite living up to his expectations. Nothing was.

And outside the door was noise. Someone was running around out there; Jacob could hear their footsteps. He wondered absently if maybe they would be stopping at his door; maybe he was being summoned for something. That was how he had come to see it of late, as if he was being summoned before the king. It had always felt a little like that every time the message came down from Roderick that Joe needed to see him, but of late Jacob had found himself less inclined to wish the audience. He released a breath that he had no memory of holding as the footsteps continued on. No, Jacob had no desire to see Joe that morning. It would have just been the same as before; he would want to know what had happened to his son, why he was no longer here. Jacob wasn’t in the mood to rehash the story again. If he could remember it. That struck him too. What if he was called before Joe and didn’t remember the story the right way? There was always that risk that Joe would know that he was lying. Maybe he already knew. That had occurred to Jacob too.

More footsteps passed by his door. They were lighter than the last, and Jacob thought that maybe he recognized them. Maybe he was wrong. It had been so long that he could never quite be sure of anything about Emma anymore. There had been a time when he had known every part of her, or at least thought that he did. Now it wasn’t so easy to determine what was going on inside her head. Maybe he was just thinking of her and that was why he thought that he heard her cross in front of his door. It was all starting to bleed together anyway. It was all becoming a mass of static as if they all spoke some unintelligible language that he knew once and had long forgotten. He knew that he should understand, be with them, but of late nothing seemed to add up.

He sighed deeply, trying to focus his mind. There was something that had pulled him from sleep so abruptly that morning, other than the apparent party going on in the rest of the house. There had been something that had bothered Jacob enough to shake him from the calm that he had been attempting to cling to. Or maybe it was the noise. He wasn’t sure. There was something about it that disturbed him. He’d never been around quite so many of them before. That was what he kept trying to tell himself. That was why he was so adrift that morning. Somehow though he knew that wasn’t the case. He just didn’t understand anymore. That was the problem. He looked at the rest of them and had no idea what they were trying to say. There was a song he heard once that seemed to apply. “I used to feel the faith but now I’m tired of trying,” he whispered to the empty room. Maybe that was his problem, he’d lost his faith somewhere along the way.

The rest of them didn’t seem to know. Jacob wasn’t even sure that Joe knew. Somehow he figured that Emma knew or at least guessed. It seemed she wasn’t quite as adept at reading him these days either. Still, he was sure that she had to suspect something. They had known each other a long time after all. And yet she couldn’t understand why he would suddenly be questioning things. He didn’t quite understand it either. Seven years. That was how long he had been there, seven years, but now everything had changed. Nothing was the way that he had thought it would be. Nothing was adding up. Jacob just couldn’t figure out why. He had thought that if he just stayed the course everything would right itself.

He sighed again and closed his eyes trying to organize his thoughts. There was a plan. There had always been a plan. All he had to do was figure out where he was and what needed to be done to get everything on track. If he could just sort everything out it would be okay. Everything would be perfect. It was supposed to be him and Emma. That was what Joe had always wanted, and that was how it was supposed to be. And yet what Joe wanted wasn’t enough anymore. Jacob sighed again. That was a separate issue. What he needed was to stay on track.

His eyes focused on a spot on the ceiling just above the bed. How many times had he lain there and stared at that exact spot? It was the only thing that seemed to focus his thoughts. Jacob honed in on the magic spot above him and thought about what it was he wanted. He was so close and would have figured it out by now if it wasn’t for the noise all around him. What were they doing out there anyway? It was like a bunch of school children running through the halls. The way they carried on reminded him of his students. It was seriously distracting. He chuckled lightly in spite of himself. At least they used to question what they were told unlike everyone else he had encountered of late.

His eyes bore into the ceiling willing the answers to come. That was all Jacob wanted, to know how to get back on track, how to believe once more. But his mind kept drifting into the past. To how it all began. To what had led him here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Includes a quote from "Prophesy" by Remy Zero


	2. Moving Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob and Paul must clean up a mess on their first real day as Will and Billy.

Chapter 2: Moving Day

It was all supposed to be very simple. All they needed to do was convince Sarah that they were a couple and gain her trust. Easy. And yet nothing was going according to plan, and they hadn’t even come in contact with Sarah yet.

Jacob sighed deeply as he looked around the kitchen. The realtor cast him a sideways look. “Mr. Wilson,” she prompted again.

It took a moment for Jacob to realize she was talking to him. “Sorry. Must have spaced. What did you say?”

“That is completely understandable. I was merely asking what had nictitated the move. You said that you’ve been looking for a place for awhile now.”

Jacob wasn’t sure where that had come from. Maybe he’d said something that he shouldn’t have and tipped her off that something was wrong. It wouldn’t do for the plan to go bust before he even met Sarah. He smiled slightly, trying to undo whatever damage may have been done. “I am actually moving in with someone. It seemed better to get our own place instead of one of us trying to cram ourselves into the other’s space.” That sounded normal. He hoped. That was totally something someone would say.

The realtor smiled. “Well, I am sure that she will love what you have chosen,” she said in a sticky sweet kind of way.

Jacob was too busy looking around the room again to catch the comment. The realtor opened her mouth preparing to speak. A door opened in another part of the condo ending the discourse between her and Jacob. “Will,” Paul called from somewhere around the front door, “Where are you?”

It took a moment for the name to register. “Kitchen,” Jacob shouted in return.

“Sorry I’m late. Work ran long.” As he spoke Paul’s footsteps wound their way to where his fake lover stood with some woman that he had never seen before. “Hello,” he said in a measured voice.

The realtor looked between the two men standing on either side of the kitchen. “I must have misunderstood,” she said finally. “I wasn’t aware that you were going to have a roommate.” She directed her comments to Jacob where he stood boxed in against the cabinets. “Had I known I wouldn’t have wasted your time with this place.”

The two men exchanged looks over her head. “I think that this will suit us just fine,” Jacob carefully replied. He could feel Paul’s eyes boring into him. “We only need the one bedroom.” He was careful to look anywhere but at the man standing mere feet away.

The realtor paused. She looked between the two of them. Jacob watched as comprehension began to show on her face. “I see,” she said, setting her folder on the counter. The look on her face was one he had seen before. He shook the thoughts from his mind.

“So the paperwork,” Jacob threw out there cautiously. Paul stood evaluating him from across the room. Jacob was careful to not really look at either of the other people in the room. There was something in Paul’s expression that bothered him, something searching and understanding. The realtor, he knew exactly what her expression was.

The realtor herself appeared undecided as to how to precede. Finally she found the words to express what was going through her mind. “Honestly,” she said slowly, “I am not sure that this will work out. I was under a much different impression when you called. I mean, you said that you’re a teacher.” Her eyes flinted briefly to Jacob. “I never would have imagined that you might be, one of those. This is a family friendly environment, and I honestly doubt that they would appreciate having neighbors like the two of you.”

“So you are saying that you won’t sell us this place because we’re gay?” Paul asked. Jacob couldn’t help but look to him in confusion. He had to admit that Paul certainly knew the basics of outrage at such discrimination. “We are able to live wherever we want, and you have nothing to say about it.”

The realtor looked between the two of them once more. There was a hardness in her eyes that Jacob had not first seen when he walked through the door. “I have other offers on this place, and I think it is my duty to make sure that it goes to one of them. This is a nice neighborhood.” She turned to look at Jacob. “You misled me,” she spat.

“You’re right,” Paul said behind her, “We have misled you.”

The realtor turned to him triumphant. Jacob could see the smug little smile on her face even with her turned halfway away. “Now,” she said, “I believe that it is time for the two of you to leave.”

Paul’s eyes flicked to Jacob for a moment before coming back to rest on her face. “But don’t you want to know the truth?”

“I know the truth. You two should be ashamed of yourselves, coming into a nice family neighborhood like this and trying to infect it with your sinful homosexuality!”

Paul laughed harshly. “Oh, we’re not gay,” he told her. The realtor scoffed disbelievingly. He ignored the interruption as well as the appalled look on Jacob’s face. He continued on with what he was planning to say. “Not that it should matter if we were. But, I suppose that your indignation about what we are going to do to this nice little neighborhood is somewhat justified.”

“And what exactly is that?” the realtor spat. It was clear that she cared little about Paul’s claim that they weren’t really gay.

Paul smiled at her in a way few were unlucky enough to see. “Oh, you’ll never know,” he said and slit her throat.

Jacob watched impassively as her body fell to the floor. One rule, he thought, Joe had one rule, no killing people. At least not as Will and Billy. And yet not even ten minutes into their fake lives together there was a body on the floor. “At least you killed her on the tile,” Jacob sighed.

Paul laughed harshly again. He looked down at the body resting at his feet. Not the most auspicious way to begin, but there was nothing he could do about that now. “Well this is incontinent,” he finally said.

“Back the car into the garage, and we can load the body up in the trunk,” Jacob replied evenly. “Once it’s dark we’ll bury it somewhere far from here.”

Paul looked as if he was going to comment on Jacob’s sudden calm demeanor but then appeared to think better of it. “What about the condo?” he asked. “Someone surely saw you come in.”

Jacob looked up from the body on the floor. “I came in alone; she was already here.” He seemed to think for a moment. “She has a business partner. We’ll call him and say that I got here to discover the paperwork but that she wasn’t here. He’ll come, we’ll sign the papers, and once he is gone, we’ll bury the body. No one ever has to know that she was still here when I got here.”

“Didn’t she drive here?” Paul asked reasonably.

“I assume so. I guess someone will need to get rid of her car.”

Paul watched as Jacob pulled out two phones from his pocket. They looked identical from across the room, but there must have been some subtle way that Jacob could tell them apart since one he retuned to his pocket and the other he used to send a text. “What are you doing?” Paul asked.

“Texting Rick,” Jacob said simply. When Paul looked even more appalled he went on, “She mentioned that she was parked in front of the office and had walked here. Her car needs to be gone before her business partner gets here, but neither one of us can risk being seen taking it. Plus, we both know that if Rick is involved there won’t been any evidence to link him to the car once he’s done.”

Paul had to admit that Jacob was correct on that front. “But it is risky to be in contact with any of the others,” he pointed out.

“It’s a burner phone. And Rick is never going to come here, to the condo. When I drove up here there was only one car in the lot, a KIA. I figure that has to be hers.” The phone vibrated suddenly. Jacob consulted the screen and then continued, “That’s Rick. He says he’s located the car. I had him hovering in the area just in case there were issues. He’s going to pick up the car, take it off somewhere far away, and then torch it. By the time it is identified we will have buried the body, and no one need know that you killed her.” Paul looked at the phone still in Jacob’s had. “I’m going to ditch the phone, don’t worry. Rick is supposed to get rid of his too. But anyway, it’s the only way.”

“There is always another condo. One with more than one bedroom,” Paul pointed out. “We could call the business partner and say she never arrived. The partner comes, finds her dead on the floor, and calls the cops. We make sure to wipe down our prints, and no one need know we were ever inside the condo. You could say you knocked and knocked and no one answered. After a suitable mourning period we get the partner to show us another unit.”

“But I want this one,” Jacob said.

“Why?” Paul asked. He looked around the room. The kitchen was nice, but there were surely other condos with kitchens like this. Maybe there was even one with more than one bedroom. They were supposed to be pretending to be a couple, sure, but that didn’t mean that they were supposed to actually sleep in the same room. “What is so special about this place?”

“Sarah Fuller lives next door,” Jacob replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there is a part of this that may seem a little OOC for Jacob, but I am going for something that will hopefully tie it altogether nicely. I hope you will all bare with me for a little while to see if it works out so that it filts a little better with the character he was on the show.


	3. The Welcome Wagon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob and Paul actually move in and meet one of the neighbors. They begin to reafirm their cover story.

Chapter 3: The Welcome Wagon

The moving van had been returned, and they had barely stepped back onto the driveway when a call came from a few feet down the sidewalk. Both Paul and Jacob turned toward the noise and found a plump woman making her way to where they stood. “Are you two the new neighbors?” she asked. Before either man had the chance to respond she found her way back to where they stood. “I am Susan,” she said, halfway out of breath, “I live a couple of streets over. I came to bring you this.” She brandished a dish under Paul’s nose with enough force to knock someone unconscious. And he would know.

“Thanks,” Jacob responded. He reached out and grabbed the food that Paul had neglected to reach for himself. He shot a quick look at Paul to gauge his mood. The unfortunate incident with the realtor was still fresh in Jacob’s mind, and the last thing they needed was for a similar situation to occur, in broad daylight no less. He shot a quick warning look and turned back to Susan. “I’m guessing you are the welcome wagon,” he half teased.

“Guilty as charged,” Susan chuckled. She continued after a moment, “Since you were new and all I figured that it was my responsibility to bring you a pie and welcome you to the neighborhood properly. I hope you boys like apple.”

Jacob took a moment to cast Paul another look. Luckily it appeared that his mood was rapidly changing to merely mildly annoyed. That was something that Jacob could work with. “Apple is great,” he told her. “But you honestly didn’t need to come all the way over here just to say hello. We would have completely understood. After all, moving is so stressful and time consuming. I hope it doesn’t hurt your feelings and all, but it is unlikely we would have noticed if you had waited to swing by another day.” He gave her what he hoped was a friendly smile.

Susan smiled back in a sheepish kind of way. “To be completely honest, if I could be so frank as to say, that is, honestly, I couldn’t resist the urge to swing by.”

“Oh?” Paul asked. Only Jacob noticed the edge to the question.

Susan looked from side to side as if afraid that someone might overhear what she had to say. She looked back and the pair of them with a slight flush to her cheeks. “I’ve never actually seen real live homosexuals before.” There was a certain tone of awe in her voice like they were a particularly exotic breed of zoo animal the likes of which she had only heard stories. “Honestly though,” she went on suddenly, “you are not at all what I expected.”

Jacob opened his mouth to respond, but Paul cut across him. Without so much as a sideways glance he reached over, pulled Jacob to him, and kissed him full on the mouth. He pulled away just as suddenly. Both Jacob and Susan stood there looking a little shocked at the sudden display of affection. “We really must be going,” Paul said. He grabbed the pie plate from Jacob’s hands. “Thank you for the pie and the welcome, but we really need to get started on the unpacking. If was don’t get through these boxes fast I’ll have to hear him complain all night about the mess. A bit of a neat freak.” He added the last bit of that in a conspiratorial tone. “It was,” he paused, “interesting meeting you.” Paul turned on his heel and headed toward the front door.

Jacob looked after him with an expression befitting a famine victim mere inches from an all you can eat buffet. “I wouldn’t pay him any mind,” Susan told Jacob kindly, “I like a clean house myself. I know all kinds of special little tricks. We should get together sometime and swap ideas.”

“Thanks for the offer. I will certainly keep that in mind,” Jacob replied. He motioned toward the condo door and began heading up the drive. He turned to see her waving at him and smiling just before he stepped through the threshold and shut the door.

Paul stood a few feet away looking down at the pie that had very nearly been thrust into his face. He looked up when he heard the door click behind Jacob. “Welcome wagon?” he asked, a disgusted note to his voice.

“What? I grew up in the suburbs,” Jacob responded. He walked over to where Paul stood, grabbed the pie, and walked into the kitchen to set it on the counter.

“I would have just tossed it, but we haven’t unpacked the trashcan yet,” Paul explained. He had followed Jacob into the kitchen.

Jacob looked up from the dish in front of him a puzzled look on his face. “What?” Paul pointed to the pie sitting between them. “We can’t just throw it away,” Jacob said. “She’ll want her dish back.”

Paul looked like he had swallowed something sour. “You mean we have to speak to her again?” he asked.

“Of course,” Jacob responded, “Neighbors and all that.”

“You’re sure about that?” Paul asked hopefully.

Jacob nodded. “In a place like this it will get around to everyone if we don’t give her the dish back, at least. One of us should probably take something over to her as well.” He looked back at the pie.

Paul couldn’t help but notice that something was wrong. “Oh what is it now?” he snapped. “I didn’t kill her; frankly I don’t’ know what you are so upset about.”

Jacob looked up at him annoyed. “You weren’t paying attention were you?” he snapped. “You didn’t hear what she said? That we weren’t what she expected. That’s a problem.”

“That some woman we spoke to noticed that we don’t set off gaydar from across a crowded room?” Paul asked incredulously. “What does she know about it anyway? You heard her, she’s never actually seen a real live homosexual before. It hardly matters what she thinks anyway.”

Jacob scoffed. “You aren’t thinking. If she noticed something was off Sarah might too, and in case you have forgotten, it matters what she thinks.”

Paul sighed. This was not the first time he had had to listen to another round of paranoia. “Listen,” he said in an exasperated tone, “there is nothing we can do about your freak outs. The only thing is to male sure we have to story down pat and then stick to the game plan. Do you think you can do that?” Jacob was silent. “Do you think it would help to clean something?” Paul added helpfully. He received an angry look in response. “I was just trying to help.”

“She’s going to know,” Jacob argued.

“You don’t know that,” Paul countered. “We need to make a game plan,” he added, “make sure we have the story straight.”

“We have the story straight,” Jacob pointed out. “We’re,” he seemed to wrestle with the words, “a couple.”

Paul looked something between amused and exasperated. “Try to sound more happy about it. And stop acting surprised when I kiss you.”

“You just kissed me out of nowhere,” Jacob countered, “How the hell was I supposed to look?”

“I don’t know,” Paul said, “Not like we have never kissed before.”

“We’ve kissed before,” Jacob pointed out quietly. He shifted his weight from foot to foot.

“Not really,” Paul said. “Couples don’t generally discuss whether or not they are going to kiss prior to actually doing it. As you should know. We can’t be going around discussing the prospect all the time or we really wont fool Sarah.”

Jacob shifted his eyes to Paul for a moment before looking away. “You just took me by surprise, kissing me out in the open like that, in front of that woman.”

Paul laughed harshly. “Honey, that is something couples do.”

“Some couples,” Jacob argued.

“No,” Paul said, “Couples in general. You are going to have to loosen up; we are going to have to make sure people actually think we are gay, you know. That involves at the very least us making out from time to time.” Jacob looked uncomfortable. “We only have to do it out there. In here we can be as straight as it is possible to be, but out there we are Will and Billy, a couple, who kiss and stuff.”

“Fine,” Jacob sighed.

“Now,” Paul continued, wanting to get the uncomfortable part out of the way, “Let’s unpack. We can talk, figure out the story.”

“We know the story,” Jacob argued.

“No. We know blurbs. Our cover names, birthdays, cities of origin, etc. We don’t really have actually lives; we need them if we are really going to do this. We need stories and stuff. Think of it this way, it’s research, you like research right, and it will increase out chances of fooling Sarah.”

Jacob weighed that for a second. “What did you have in mind?” he asked.

Paul thought about it for a moment. “Why did Will Wilson want to be a teacher?” he asked. “We can start there and build back stories for ourselves. I’ll help you get yours down; you can help me do the same in reverse. We have to make sure that there are no gaps.”

Jacob nodded firmly. They could do this; he was almost sure. All they needed to do was make sure that everything fit together. No gaps like Paul had said. He sighed deeply as he thought through his answer.


	4. The Art of Lying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must start by saying how sorry I am that it took so long to get this up. I have been very busy of late and unable to find much time to write. I will certainly try to do better in the future. Now I had planned to wait to publish this until I had finished the next chapter, but since it has taken so long I changed my mind.

There was a certain art to lying, Jacob had to admit. He always assumed that it would be easy. All you had to do was make something up off the top of your head, At least that is what he assumed that lying would entail. Apparently he was wrong about that. They had been working for hours, it seemed, and yet they still hadn’t been able to come up with anything. His sigh of annoyance had barely escaped his lips when Paul snapped. “What did you think Jacob, that we’d just show up and wing it?”

“Clearly that was what we both thought!” Jacob snapped back. He plopped down on the living room floor since this was bound to take them forever. “We’ve been over it and over it for hours now, and yet we have nothing. I’m all talked out.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Paul retorted. “We’ve been talking for like fifteen minutes!”

“Well, it feels longer!”

Paul appeared unsure whether he should laugh or not. He sank down onto the couch that still sat halfway in the dining room. He searched for something to get them back on track. “Clearly we weren’t as prepared as we thought we were, but there’s nothing we can do about that now. All we can do now is try to get back on track before we meet Sarah. Starting with not yelling since she‘s right next door.”

“I think she’s at work,” Jacob countered.

“Still, we should get in the habit of not yelling at each other just in case she ever is next door. She has to think we’re a real couple after all.”

“Couples fight,” Jacob pointed out.

Paul sighed with exasperation. “I’m aware of that. Will and Billy can fight, but Jacob and Paul cannot.”

“The deal was that when we were inside we didn’t have to pretend,” Jacob began.

“There are limits to that. We can’t be arguing about things she cannot know. In case you have forgotten we are supposed to be gaining her trust. If she hears us arguing about stuff that makes no sense to her or conflicts what she knows about us that is going to cause problems.”

Jacob looked like he wanted to argue but decided against it. “Okay. So we are supposed to fight about what exactly?” he asked.

“That is kind of the point of the conversation. We don’t know anything about us.” Jacob looked incredulous. “I don’t mean us, as in us, I mean us, as in, the people we are claiming to be, Will and Billy. Couples have stories, lives, petty arguments. We need all that.”

“You’re insane.” Jacob said it simply.

“It could be fun getting to make up your entire life.” Paul shot Jacob a bemused expression.

“We could be whoever we wanted,” Jacob agreed.

“Well,” Paul countered, “not just anyone. There are certain rules to lying.”

“Rules to lying?” Jacob asked disbelievingly.

“Yes. Like, you have to base a lie on a truth. That way it is easier to remember as well as being more believable.” Paul paused for a moment. “For example. I grew up in Texas; I know all about Texas. Ask me anything, and I bet that I have the answer. And we I give the answer it doesn’t sound like I read it out of a travel book. Therefore, it makes sense that Billy would be from Texas. That is a detail I can both remember and back up. You have to build your lie on a solid foundation so that it will be a lot less likely to crumble. The truth is that while Joe says six months, a year tops, we don’t know for sure. And we can’t fuck this up!”

Jacob sighed. “What did you have in mind?” he asked.


	5. Will and Billy, The Early Years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously it has been forever since I added to this. I have no real excuse for that other than that I was insanely busy for too long and by the time I could write I'd sort of lost interest. I am going to be trying to finish the story in the next few days though. Hopefully you guys like what I end up with.

Jacob’s eyes opened slowly. It took him a second to adjust to his surroundings, it always did. Everything looked so strange in the mornings from where he lay on his side. This morning was no different than the others that he had woken up to over the last six months. There was just one small change from the norm. He lay very still that morning unsure how to proceed, how to process what had transpired. It was all because of one tiny mistake, admittedly his own. It had all really happened about a month before that point. Up until then Sarah had never actually been inside of the condo, and maybe that was how they had managed their little arrangement. Even if it wasn’t, they were invested now. It had all started very simply, an agreement. When they were outside they were Will and Billy, inside Jacob and Paul, and while it was sometimes necessary to make certain sacrifices for the sake of the mission, they were for sure not to ever allow the lines to blur between their outside life as a couple and their inside life as once decently close friends whose relationship had become increasingly strained of late. Jacob has gone and broke one of the fundamental rules by bringing Sarah into the condo one day, an event that they had planned never to happen though he felt that it was inevitable that she would have to come over at some point. And maybe Paul would have taken it better if it hadn’t been for Sarah coming across a fairly major inconsistency with their story. But as it was, they were being forced to do one of the few things they had unanimously agreed that they would never allow to happen. It was this new change that startled Jacob so much as he awoke that morning.

The second he began to wake Jacob felt the warmth beside him. It had not been uncommon for him and Emma to share a bed before all of this started, but he had already started to get used to sleeping alone again when it became necessary for him and Paul to share a bed. But still, though it had been going on for about a month, it was always a shock when he woke in the morning to discover that there was someone else in the bed beside him, especially Paul. Especially when Paul, like last night apparently, rolled over a little too far and he even slightly came into physical contact with the man beside him. As he lay there, contemplating getting up, Jacob could feel Paul’s back pressed just slightly against his own. No matter how long passed, how often they did this, it was always strange beyond words to find himself having slept beside another man. Jacob sighed lightly to himself as he finally began to ease himself out of the bed, trying not to wake Paul. He knew that it would be best to avoid a confrontation so early in the morning. It was a Monday, and Paul was always particularly grumpy on those, like many in the world. The last thing he wanted was to remind Paul how awkward he still found it, the two of them sleeping beside each other, and be reminded that it was his fault. He was the one that brought Sarah home; he was the one that had forgotten that day, of all days, to make up the bed in the guest room. And naturally, as that is always how those things went, she had seen it and wondered why one of them was sleeping in the guest room. And sure, he had managed to salvage the situation by telling her that they had been fighting, as couples sometimes do. He had even been careful to act properly embarrassed about the fact. And he thought that Paul would have acknowledged that, but of course he never missed a chance to remind Jacob that because of his screw up they now had to share a bed every night just in the event that something like that, the extra bed not being made, occurred again. They could have no deviations from the plan; at least that was what Paul had said. And the only thing that had made Jacob feel at least somewhat better about the situation was knowing that at least he had a partner in misery. As long as Paul was having to suffer alongside him, he would hold his complaints. Still, it was always best to not be in bed when Paul woke up in the morning.

After going to the bathroom Jacob made his way downstairs considering what he should make for breakfast. He knew that Paul would be up soon and would be as hungry as he was. That was the only thing that they had been able to agree on lately. Everything else seemed to be driving them apart. Neither one of them had really thought about what was going to happen to them once they settled into a routine as a couple, completing the task that had been laid out for them. The passage of time was only making matters worse. Joe had told them that all they had to do was play along for six months and they would be free. As the six month mark came and went Jacob could feel a certain restlessness in his bones. Neither of them had really considered what would happen if they had to stay longer than they had planned. Sure, they had taken the time to make sure their backstory was solid, but there were other things that they were missing out on being stuck in the condo together all the time. There was a strict no contact rule until they saw the sign. They were completely in the dark until that point, closed off from the others. Things were not progressing like they should. Unfortunately they had had to say that in the status report they’d left at the drop point. Maybe if they’d lied everything would be coming together already, they would be free.

Jacob heard footsteps behind him as he rooted around in the fridge, looking for something to cook. “I’ve been thinking that we should all get together,” he said without looking at the man who had just entered the room.

There was a bite of impatience in Paul’s voice as he responded, “You know full well that we can’t see them or talk to them at all. I know you miss your little girlfriend or whatever, but you two are not going to die without each other. She has her own stuff to do anyway.” Though the anger and annoyance was just beneath the surface, Paul made sure to keep his voice down.

Jacob removed his head from the fridge and looked at Paul for a second impassively. “I meant the three of us, me, you, and Sarah. Maybe if you spend more time with her she will get more comfortable around you. That way the next time we have to report in we can tell them that things are progressing the way they are supposed to, that she trusts both of us.”

Paul looked only slightly placated by that explanation. “You know that she is always going to like you better,” he pointed out.

“She only likes me because I spend time with her. Maybe if you did, she’d relax some. As is, you are an unknown quantity to her, and she isn’t good with those. So, as I was saying, dinner. She’s off this weekend, as are we; I say we plan something. That way we can get closer to her; which, I will remind you, is the job.”

Paul sighed, obviously not wanting to admit that Jacob was right. Finally he had to acknowledge that they really did need to be making more of an effort to get closer to Sarah. He just didn’t think that it would be so hard to gain her trust. “Fine,” he finally relented. Before Jacob could call him back Paul stormed back upstairs. Jacob just let him go figuring that he might as well just let him throw his little fit. There was no point in letting Paul get under his skin. Jacob knew that he was right, knew that Paul knew he was right, and in the end that was what mattered. Jacob went back to trying to find something for breakfast, determined to talk to Sarah about maybe having dinner that weekend.


	6. A Real Couple

Chapter 6: A Real Couple

The room was sort of spinning, Jacob needed to sit down. He sank onto the couch slowly but the room was still moving away from him. He hung his head between his knees trying to regain some semblance of control over the room around him. He felt the couch dip some beside him as Paul plopped down next to him. “Sarah appears to have gotten home okay, no one kidnapped her…yet.” Paul chuckled lightly as he took a sip of the wine he still had in his hand. When Jacob did not respond he asked, “You okay?”

“Fine,” Jacob responded. He looked up as the vertigo faded some. “I drank too much; Sarah’s going to think I’m a drunk.”

“Are you kidding? She loves you!”

“You had a few too many too, you know that?” Jacob leaned against the back of the couch so that he was level with where Paul sat beside him. “Always so touchy feely when you drink.”

“Hey it’s for Sarah! Alright?” Paul leaned forward to set his glass on the coffee table.

“Uh huh?” Jacob responded, clearly not believing him.

“We got to look like a real couple.”

Jacob reached over and began tickling his side. “So touchy.” He laughed softly.

“Hey stop that.” Paul reached over and tried to swat his hand away, but Jacob proved to be persistent.

“All over me.” Jacob continued tickling him as Paul tried to move away. He was right, they did need to look like a real couple, but that didn’t keep Jacob from wanting to tease him about it mercilessly.

Paul continued trying to squirm away, he and Jacob sort of wrestling around on the couch. It was a moment in time that he couldn’t describe. One moment they were playing around, teasing each other, and the next Paul had leaned forward and pressed their lips together. He pulled away quickly, unsure what he had done, unsure how he was going to explain himself. Maybe he had drank too much to make a mistake like that. He sat there staring at Jacob for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts. He was just about to say something, though he still wasn’t sure what, when Jacob leaned forward and kissed him.

The pair of them collided together like it was the most natural thing in the world to them. They wrestled around together, fighting for dominance. Paul felt Jacob trying to gain entrance to his mouth, and without thinking he opened his lips. The second he felt Jacob’s tongue slide against his own he pulled away. He panted loudly, as if he hadn’t caught a breath in years. He looked at the other man out of the corner of his eye. “I’m sorry,” he muttered not quite able to meet Jacob’s eye. “I don’t know what came over me.”

Jacob appeared to be weighing his words. His back hit the couch once more as he looked Paul up and down. They had a very strict rule, no kissing when it wasn’t absolutely necessary. Better to save that for when they needed to convince someone, like Sarah, that they were a real couple. But still, it was scary to imagine that they had managed to get to a point where it was potentially normal for them to touch each other like that. “No,” he finally said, “It was my fault. I shouldn’t have been teasing you. It happens.”

Paul nodded. He looked over at Jacob at last. Despite trying to keep focused on the separation between their inside and outside lives, he couldn’t help but take in the obvious flustered state that Jacob appeared to be in. He ran his eyes slowly over the man slouched beside him taking in a number of details that seemed out of place. Like the fact that Jacob seemed way more flustered than Paul would have imagined that he should be. Sure, them kissing without cause was strange. They didn’t usually kiss without people around, and even back when they were practicing, trying to figure out how they were supposed to do this, they never had kissed like that. But still, Paul couldn’t figure out what had Jacob so flustered all of a sudden. “You okay?” he asked. He reached out and placed a hand just slightly too high on Jacob’s legs, his fingers accidently brushing against something that he had never meant to touch. He pulled his hand away as quickly as he could, but it was too late, he saw Jacob’s eye close slowly, his head leaning back all the way. Paul opened his mouth to comment, but Jacob was off the couch and out of the living room long before his mouth could even form words. Paul let him go in the moment, not even sure what he would have said anyway.

Jacob was already in bed when Paul finally got up and followed him. Everything was silent. The lights were off, but Paul could still make out the huddled mass that was scrunched way on the far edge of the bed. Paul couldn’t figure out why Jacob was so far over until he heard a slight hitch in the other man’s breathing. Paul stood in the doorway for a moment, unsure how he should proceed. He could feel the alcohol clouding his thoughts as he listened and watched the slight movement of the mass’s back. Part of him knew that he should tiptoe back downstairs and pretend that he hadn’t heard or seen anything. But that was not the part of him in control at the moment. The part calling the shots appeared to be far too interested in the events unfolding before him. As torn as he was though, Paul’s mind was made up when he heard Jacob groan in frustration. Thankful that he had kicked his shoes off downstairs, Paul walked into the bedroom as quietly as possible. If he made any noise Jacob showed no sign; he appeared too distracted to pay attention to what was going on around him.

Paul stopped right next to his side of the bed. Just as he had suspected when he was standing in the doorway, Jacob was way over on the edge of the bed, halfway hanging off. Paul was still slightly confused until it occurred to his heavily liquor filled brain that the man in front of him was completely naked. He’d never seen Jacob naked before. Paul watched as he continued to rub the obviously aroused member sticking up between his legs. But though Paul knew that Jacob had been hard, at least getting there, while they were downstairs, it was strange to see the actual proof of that, and even worse, that Jacob had come up here to relieve the tension building up inside of him. Though things did not seem to be going well for him. Paul heard Jacob groan in frustration again then watched in awe as Jacob brought the hand that was not around his cock to his mouth.

Whatever he had been doing, Paul didn’t have the best view of. It had looked like Jacob had put some fingers in his mouth, but before Paul could think that one through the hand was pulled away. He watched mesmerized as Jacob wrapped his arm around until it was approximately positioned at his back. Paul wasn’t sure what to say or do as he watched one of the fingers slip between Jacob’s buttcheeks. A slight hiss followed and Paul watched as the finger was gradually pulled out only to be pushed back in. He stood there watching, his gaze alternating between one had stroking his cock and the other pushing and pulling in and out of his ass.

He wasn’t really certain what he was thinking, but as he watched this display Paul reached up and pulled his shirt over his head. He threw it soundlessly to the floor before working on his jeans. He stepped out of them and, before he could consider what he was doing, crawled onto the bed next to Jacob with only his boxers on. Beside him Jacob suddenly stopped. Though he had appeared oblivious to the small sounds around him, even in his state he couldn’t ignore the dip in the bed when Paul crawled in beside him. He didn’t even have a chance to remove his hands from himself before Paul was pulling him towards where he lay in the center of the bed. Jacob shifted awkwardly trying to find a way to explain why he was lying on their bed not only jacking off but fingering himself, but Paul didn’t give him the chance to admit his awkwardness. Instead of asking questions Paul leaned forward and kissed Jacob’s back softly, right where Jacob’s tattoo was located.

Jacob just lay there, his hands in place still but motionless. He didn’t know what he was supposed to say or do in that moment. Paul solved the problem for him by reaching between them and grabbing ahold of Jacob’s wrist. He gently pulled it out and away from where it had been slowly moving in and out of Jacob’s hole. Convinced that Paul was disgusted by what he had seen, Jacob was careful not to react when he felt his fingers being pulled away. He barely had a chance to miss his ministrations before he felt suddenly a completely different set of fingers running between his cheeks. Clearly Paul had taken the time to suck his fingers wet, because Jacob gasped slightly as he felt the slick digit slide rather effortlessly inside of him. He tried to hold in his moans though, not wanting to risk this stopping, as he felt the finger easily moving in and out. He was just wondering how to broach the subject when he felt Paul ease another finger inside of him, stretching him more. To this point neither man has ventured to speak, but Jacob knew that even though he didn’t want to risk ruining the moment by broaching the uncomfortable subject he would have to speak soon. Though it felt nice, it was clear to him that Paul had never done this before. He waited a moment longer before finally whispering, “You have to move your fingers apart.”

“What?” Paul asked. He leaned down closer to Jacob. In the process his fingers accidently delved a little deeper and brushed ever slightly against Jacob’s prostate. The second he felt Paul touch, even slightly, that bundle of nerves Jacob moaned loudly. Paul eased back slightly, afraid that he did something wrong. “Um?” he slurred, “Did I hurt you?”

Jacob shook his head. Throwing caution to the wind he reached back and grabbed ahold of Paul’s wrist, moving into back and forth once more. Taking the hint, Paul began to finger him once more. “Good,” Jacob moaned quietly, “Now move your fingers apart slightly.” He hissed as Paul followed his instructions. “Keep going,” he whispered softly. Paul felt himself getting hard between them as he listened to the soft moans of the man whose ass he had invaded. He choose not to think about that, getting hard while he touched another man.

Paul continued slowly scissoring his fingers inside of Jacob, clearly doing something right. When Jacob told him to start curling his fingers inside of him, he did it, eventually brushing up against that bundle of nerves again. When Jacob was unable to keep his moans quiet, Paul stopped uncertainly. “Should I? Did I do something wrong?” He sounded so concerned about that.

Jacob shook his head again. “No, you want to touch that,” he breathed.

Paul started up again, moving closer to get leverage, and sped up his ministrations. He could tell that Jacob was having a harder time keeping quiet, not that he minded. He was actually liking the little moans and groans that escaped his lips when he didn’t have control over them. Paul was just trying to find that spot again that made Jacob moan so loudly before when he suddenly felt his hand being yanked away. He barely had time to protest before Jacob had rolled over and pushed him down on his back.

Paul wasn’t really sure what he was supposed to expect as without warning Jacob reached up and pulled his boxers down. He wondered if maybe Jacob was about to do the same to him that he had just been doing, something he wasn’t sure how he felt about it, but instead he suddenly felt Jacob’s mouth on his cock, licking him rapidly. He groaned loudly as he felt himself fattening up even more. It was starting to get painful, and he was just starting to crave release, when Jacob pulled off of him. He groaned loudly as the other man crawled up his body. Paul was just about to question why Jacob had stopped when he felt the other man grab ahold of his painfully hard cock. “Jacob?” he whispered, unsure what he was trying to ask.

The other man didn’t respond. Paul felt it as Jacob used a hand to guide his cock. He groaned involuntarily as he felt himself being slid inside the warmth his fingers had so newly vacated. Jacob slid himself further down until he had bottomed out. He was barely still for a moment before he started bucking his hips up then grinding down onto Paul once more. He moaned softly as he slid up and down. He was aware when Paul reached out and grabbed ahold of his hips, seeming to want to help guide them faster. He groaned loudly. “You have no idea how good you feel,” he whispered.

Jacob circled his hips in response in the process forcing Paul’s cock against his prostate. He moaned loudly as he felt his orgasm building fast. His muscles clenched as he neared the edge. “Oh shit!” he heard chocked out beneath him. He had no time to ask what was wrong before he felt it as Paul lost control and began to squirt his load inside of him. Jacob moaned loudly as his own release over took him. His come splashed out in spurts, coating Paul’s chest as he jerked around on the cock still getting off inside of him. After a moment he eased off, collapsing on the bed beside Paul.

They were silent for a long moment, still lying on top of the covers completely naked. Finally Jacob spoke. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I don’t know what came over me. It’s just sometimes…” he trailed off.

“Sometimes?” Paul prompted, staring up at the ceiling.

Jacob weighed his words for a second. “Sometimes I just want something up there, I don’t know why, can’t get off without it.”

“So had you ever…” Paul trailed off, unable to bring himself to ask the question.

Jacob didn’t answer. He said simply, “You hadn’t.”

“No,” Paul confirmed. He lied there for a moment before moving slightly to be able to free the heavily messed up blanket and pull it over himself. Once he was under the covers Jacob followed suit, he didn’t know why. He just got under the blankets and curled up next to Paul. They lie like that for a long time, close but not quite touching, before Paul spoke again. “It was nice though,” he said, “I’d never felt anything like that before.”

Jacob didn’t respond, sleep starting to take him away. Paul followed soon after, both men falling into a dreamless sleep.


	7. Love Me Tomorrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little different in that I switched back and forth between Jacob and Paul as the main focus of the story. Let me know if you like it, and I might do it again in another chapter, which I hope to have up soon.

Chapter 7: Love Me Tomorrow

The muscles in Jacob’s back were the first things to catch Paul’s attention when he awoke the next morning. It was clear that he was awake and upset about something. The second thing he noticed was that he was naked. He was not known to do that, wake up naked next to another man, even if it was Jacob. It was obvious to him that something had happened the night before, and gauging by the raging migraine that he was sporting, Paul assumed that a great amount of alcohol was consumed to lead up to whatever had transpired. All he knew was that it would clearly take some explaining to ensure that Jacob did not completely lose his mind. And Paul understood that. He wouldn’t have liked waking up in bed with another man, who happened to be naked. It made complete sense to him, as his eyes traced the tense muscles directly in front of him that Jacob would be weirded out. Hell, he was weirded out even though he was the one that had apparently thought it was a good idea to strip down and climb into bed. Clearly he couldn’t be trusted to drink anymore. If this was the kind of thing that ended up happening, it was for the best if he just kept away from that. It would probably lessen the chances that he might say something wrong anyway. That would be all he’d need, for him to, drunk, call Jacob by his real name when Sarah was around. That one would take some explaining to do. Still, Paul couldn’t figure out how he had managed to end up in this particular situation. He closed his eyes and thought back. He knew that Sarah had come over for dinner, but after that things started to get a little fuzzy. They were drinking, clearly, and then she left. No, that was later. Paul mentally shook his head. He was probably never going to know how this had happened, but all that really mattered in the moment was that he find a way to smooth things over. The easiest way to do that, he realized, was to get out of bed. Here he was, laying completely naked next to Jacob, who was clearly upset about the situation. The quickest way to make matters worse, Paul felt, was to continue to lay there. No. He figured that he would give Jacob an out. He’d slowly get out of bed and head for the bathroom, finding something to wear on the way, and pretend like he had no idea that Jacob was awake. Then things might be okay. They could pretend that it never happened, if that was what Jacob wanted, and in the future Paul would be more careful about how much he drank. Yes. That was the only way. Paul eased away slowly, preparing to get out of bed. As he moved the covers shifted just slightly but enough for Paul to see the very top of Jacob’s bare ass. He jerked away suddenly and was out of bed before he could process what he had seen.

Jacob heard the bathroom door close with a snap. He couldn’t help but wonder what was going on inside Paul’s head, couldn’t help but wonder what Paul knew about the night before. Jacob’s memory was clear, well somewhat clear, but he couldn’t help but wish that Paul knew nothing about what has transpired between them. But Jacob knew, he always knew. The second he had woken up he’d realized that they two of them had had sex, the last thing he wanted, and if he had any doubt he only had to consult the dull ache between his butt cheeks and the stains of what looked like dried cum on Paul’s chest. He rolled over onto his back as he running water just inside the bathroom door. He had no idea how he was supposed to explain to Paul what had happened, something that was never supposed to happen. He was just contemplating having to make up something to explain everything when he heard the bathroom door open next door. He quickly rolled onto his side, still trying to pretend he was asleep.

Paul came barreling into the room, planning on grabbing some clothes for when he got out of the shower. He stopped dead in the doorway of the bedroom. He stood there looking at Jacob across the room, huddled in on himself towards the edge of the bed, and he remembered something, standing in that very spot mere hours before and watching as Jacob reached back and stuck a finger… The thought trailed off in his mind as Paul put two and two together. “Wait?” he asked suddenly, forgetting that he was pretending to not know that Jacob was awake. “Did we have sex?” The dramatic change in Jacob’s posture was all the answer he needed. Paul barreled out of the room once more. He completely forgot that he had left the shower running in his haste to get downstairs.

Jacob waited a moment before he got up and followed him. He paused for a moment to shut off the water and then walked down the stairs slowly. He was not looking forward to having to have this talk, but the sooner he cleared the air, the sooner they would be able to move on like it never happened. He ignored the nagging voice in the back of his mind that told him that it had happened, that he had liked it. But he was convinced that that wasn’t the truth. He had been drunk, that was what it was.

Paul heard it when Jacob’s bare feet hit the floor behind him. His shoulders slumped forward as he stood in front of the coffee maker, watching the black liquid drip into the pot. He had no idea what to say to the man standing behind him. He had seen much of the debris from the night before, bringing back vague memories of what had transpired. He remembered that he had made dinner, the dishes still in the sink, though he was sober then and could remember that vividly. Sarah had come over, and they’d eaten. That was when they started drinking, when she showed up. She’d had a bad day and wanted a glass of wine. Naturally they had to drink too. Somehow a glass turned into a bottle, apiece. That’s when things begin to blur. He remembered that she wanted him to watch her go next door, just in case, which he did. Then he came back inside and plopped down on the couch. Everything appears to be one big event after that, Random details stuck in his mind, none of it making much sense or happening in order. He had stopped trying to place things in some kind of chronological fashion. He remembered they had kissed. Jacob left, went upstairs. He was masturbating, inserting his fingers inside himself. Paul had gotten into bed with him. Things had escalated from there. One minute Paul seemed to be fucking him, the next his fingers were working in and out of his ass, nothing coming to him in order. He watched as the coffee stopped dripping before he spoke. “Had you ever done that before?” he asked softly.

Jacob stood stock still, unsure how to respond. “No,” he said, “You’d know if I had.”

Paul turned around to face him at last. “I don’t mean with me. Obviously you had never done that with me. I meant with someone else, another man.”

“Of course not,” Jacob said. But Paul could tell he was lying. He shifted uncomfortably under Paul’s gaze. “I’m not like that!” He added it almost as an afterthought.

Paul assessed him for a moment. “Are you sure? You seemed to like it.”

“I was drunk,” Jacob snapped, “and as I recall, you weren’t exactly complaining yourself! Why would you even think that?”

Paul weighed his words for a moment. “YOU seemed to know what to do though, like you had maybe done it before is all.”

“I’m with Emma,” Jacob offered as a response. He looked guilty.

“I never said that you weren’t. But that doesn’t mean that you’re with her. For all I know you and she have never even had sex.” Paul knew that he was grasping at straws. Jacob and Emma had never exactly been desecrate when it came to keeping their hands off of each other. In fact, it made sense that they would have known each other at some point. “Okay,” he allowed, “that isn’t fair. It’s clear that you two couldn’t get enough of each other, but that doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t sometimes want to…” Paul trailed off as he remembered, vaguely, Jacob telling him how he sometimes liked it, having something up there.

Jacob shifted uncomfortably. His voice was defiant though, when he spoke, “You’re wrong. I love Emma. I was drunk is all, things got out of hand. You’re over here accusing me of things when you’re the one that kissed me.”

Paul remembered that. He wasn’t completely sure what had happened that made him do something like that, but it wasn’t the worst thing he had ever done. Admittedly, he had been a little drunk, okay a lot drunk, and he had crossed the line, but it was somewhat understandable. “I got caught up in a moment,” he said, “You were teasing me, like he do sometimes, and my head wasn’t straight. I didn’t mean anything by it, and I’m sorry if I offended you. But, as I recall, you proceed to kiss me back, after I had pulled away. Let’s just both agree that the other one crossed the line last night, but that doesn’t answer my question. Have you ever done that before?”

Jacob refused to answer. He glared across the kitchen at Paul. “It was a mistake,” he said finally, “That is all you need to know, it was a mistake that happened when we had too much to drink, and it won’t happen again.”

Paul looked on as he stomped out of the room and back up the stairs. He turned back to the coffee machine and prepared to pour himself as cup. He couldn’t shake the hurt look in Jacob’s eyes. There was something under there that Paul had never known before. For the first time since they had been assigned to watch Sarah Fuller, it occurred to Paul not just how little he knew about Will, the man Jacob was supposed to be, but instead how little he knew about Jacob. He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something buried in there that he was never supposed to know. Maybe even something that Jacob wasn’t willing to admit. He signed heavily, unsure what he was supposed to do. Maybe Jacob was right, though; maybe it would never happen again.

Jacob sank onto the bed. He lie there looking up at the ceiling trying to wrap his brain around what had happened between him and Paul the night before. It was never supposed to have happened. It was never supposed to have happened. And certainly not with Paul. He was just preparing to get up and jump in the shower when he phone pinged. Jacob reached out and grabbed it, unlocking it to get at the text he had received, apparently from Sarah. He sat bolt upright as he read the words on the screen:

"Whoa. Apparently I have been working too much lately! How could I have lived next door too you two from months now and not realize that you guys have such loud sex!?! It’s kind of hot!"

Jacob looked up from his phone to see Paul standing in the doorway. “We may have a problem,” he said, holding out his phone.


	8. Noisy Neighbors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter isn't that great. I had meant to dive right back in, but by the time I got the chance to write I felt like there needed to be something to bridge the gap between where I left off and where the story is to go next. So this is just kind of filler for the next chapter, which I am planning to write soon, hopefully today. I also wasn't able to finish it in one go like I usually do, so I feel like the story doesn't match up completely tone-wise. But like I said, I am hoping to have a real update soon.

Chapter 8: Noisy Neighbors

Paul looked at the screen that had been shoved in his face. He read the text without really seeing it. Once the words began to make their way into his brain the pieces of just how much trouble they could possibly be in fell into place. He looked away from the screen and back at Jacob for a moment, unsure how to read the man standing opposite him. He looked back at the proof they were in trouble. “I’m not sure I understand,” he said slowly.

Jacob sighed loudly. “She heard us!” he snapped. He shook the phone to emphasis his point. “She thinks we had sex last night!”

“And?” Paul asked evenly. He caught the incredulous look on Jacob’s face and quickly rushed to clarify. “We’re a couple,” he pointed out, “Or we’re supposed to be as far as she is concerned. Couples have sex. We had sex.”

“But she heard us,” Jacob pointed out again. The annoyance in his voice getting more and more obvious by the second.

Paul frowned down at the phone once more. He still didn’t know what to say to Jacob by the time his eyes left the screen. “I still don’t see the problem,” he finally settled on saying. “It’s normal. I doubt that she thought anything of it. And if she did, she probably just thinks that we had a little too much to drink and got a little louder than usual.”

“But what is she going to think when she never hears it again?” Jacob pointed out.

Even Paul had to admit that that was a point. “Are you saying that you feel we should be having loud sex?”

Jacob looked at him appalled. “Of course not!” he snapped. “I’m just saying that she is going to expect to be living next door to the couple from last night; which we are not. What is she to think when all of a sudden we never have sex again?”

Paul thought it over for a moment. Finally it all started to click into place. “We tell her that we got a little carried away. Say that we drank too much and things got a little louder than usual. Then we fake it every once in a while to keep her from getting suspicious.”

“Fake it?” Jacob asked, disbelieving.

“Yes,” Paul responded. “Clearly we are the noisy neighbors, so from time to time she is going to expect it, right? Like you pointed out, she is bound to get suspicious if she never hears us again, so from time to time we put on a show to put her at ease.” Paul looked at his partner in crime pointedly. He wasn’t sure why he was pushing Jacob’s buttons. It was obvious that he wanted no further reminders of whatever had happened between them the night before. Usually the only person that Paul didn’t set out to torture was Jacob, but there was something about the way that he squirmed under Paul’s gaze that made him the perfect target in the moment.

Jacob knew what he was doing. He knew Paul well enough by that point to know when he was just trying to cause trouble. It took all he could muster not to rise. He knew that if he actually showed weakness now that Paul would never let him hear the end of it. Okay, maybe the last thing he wanted was to dive deeper into the charade, but it was becoming painfully obvious that they weren’t going to get out of this anytime soon. He knew that it would be far better in the long run to just play along. He weighed his words carefully. “If that’s what you think we’ll have to do, then I imagine that it probably is our only option. Joe was very insistent that she never know the truth about us. If that’s the only way…” he trailed off, unable to finish what he thought.

Paul watched him carefully, hoping to detect some sign that he was uncomfortable by the prospect of having to pretend that they were engaging in a sexual relationship, but Jacob appeared well adept at hiding his thoughts. He wondered how often Jacob had found himself in a position like that, having to go on like business as usual when in truth he was weighed down by a terrible secret. In truth, he was someone else that Paul was unsure he knew at all. In that moment, as he stood there sizing him up, Paul bit down on countless questions that he knew he could not ask. Maybe one day he could vocalize them and Jacob would answer, but he knew that it was better on that day to let things drop. He nodded shortly and walked out of the room, completely forgetting what he had come for in the first place.

Jacob was left behind to look at the space that Paul had vacated with questions all his own. He knew that one day he would have to answer all the questions that were on the tip of Paul’s tongue, he always did. He knew that, deep down, but he was unable to acknowledge it in the forefront of his mind. No. In that moment Jacob was merely weighing with distaste the fact that he would have to lead Sarah to believe that he was actually interest in Paul like that. Completely forgetting that she most likely already suspected those things about them considering that as far as she was concerned, they were a couple. But then, the things that Jacob thought never completely made sense.


	9. The Definition of Insanity

Chapter 9: The Definition of Insanity

Jacob always ignored the way Paul looked at him whenever Sarah mentioned something that she was sure that she had heard from the other side of the wall. He pretended not to notice the slight probing nature of the other man’s gaze because it was easier to pretend that he was handling the whole situation well. He was not. The strain was glaringly obvious whenever the subject came up. Though Jacob knew that it was fake, moreover that it was all just a series of recordings that they had made to play whenever they felt it had been too long since she may have overheard something, he could not help but squirm at the very idea that she thought that the two of them were engaging in a sexual relationship. And worse, Paul appeared to be amused by Jacob’s discomfort. He always was willing to ham things up when the need arose, making matters worse. They were supposed to be in this together, not needling the other every chance they got. It was all just making everything worse. Jacob felt it was always better when she brought it up during their weekly lunches, which Paul was not a part of. Still, from the second he got home, he was sure that Paul could smell it on him. He somehow always knew, could sense when the subject of Will’s and Billy’s sex life had come up. Or maybe he was just imagining it. Maybe Paul didn’t know anything at all. Regardless, it was all weighing on Jacob, bit by bit.

Paul sat on the couch that night flipping through the channels hoping to find something to watch. It occurred to him that many, Jacob especially, would have pointed out that there was an easily accessible guide that would have told him exactly what was on, but there was something about manually scouring the stations for something to watch that brought him back to his youth. Not that it had been particularly fantastic but we all have moments of nostalgia from time to time. Really he wasn’t paying much attention to the TV. His mind was, as always lately, stuck on Jacob. It always was when they were apart. He always told himself that it was worry that Jacob might slip up. Obviously it was clear that they would have to go their separate ways come work time, but there was something a little nervy about Jacob spending time alone with Sarah. If he slipped up at school it was less of a problem than if he slipped up with her. What she believed mattered. At first that was a perfectly plausible excuse, but the longer they had been living next door to her, the less likely it seemed that he was going to screw it all up. From the beginning Jacob had always been better with Sarah anyway. Paul tried to convince himself otherwise, but it was becoming more and more obvious that he was concerned about something far different than whether or not Jacob would let slip something he shouldn’t. There was nothing to worry about when they spent time alone together, but every time Jacob would go out with Sarah, Paul was concerned about what would happen. That night, like more than a few nights before, he had watched Jacob leave the condo and go next door with the intention of going out with Sarah for the night. He told himself that he was concerned about what might transpire between them. What if Jacob had too much to drink and forgot momentarily that he was not only supposed to be in a relationship but also gay. That was the thought that Paul clung to, the excuse he hid behind while he worried. There was a scratching at the door. Clearly Jacob was having trouble with the lock. Paul wondered if he should get up to open the door for him but instead settled on trying to look busy. Every other time he had left after Jacob did in order to try and take his mind off of things. Only once had he been home by the time Jacob was; every other time Jacob had been fast asleep when he got home. He scrambled to find something at last to watch as he heard the hinges creak as Jacob finally got the door open.

The room swayed heavily as Jacob caught himself on the door frame. Having finally got his equilibrium back, he stepped into the condo. The door slammed shut behind him, but he couldn’t recall having endeavored to shut it. He stumbled into the living room, following the sound of the TV he heard in the distance. He stopped behind the empty couch and looked around. He stumbled toward the stairs up to their room. He passed the kitchen on the way and saw Paul standing at the counter with his back to him. He walked as best as he could over to him.

Paul heard the shuffling, jagged footsteps on the tile, but that was still not enough warning for him. He could feel his back stiffen as Jacob’s arms wrapped around him from behind. He searched his brain for what to say to the man pressed up against him. He could smell the alcohol coming off of Jacob in waves. “Did you have fun?” he asked finally. He knew that this was a very delicate dance, speaking to Jacob in those moments when part of his mask seemed to slip away. One wrong move and things would be tense for weeks. It was three months later, but the events of that night still seemed to hang over them at times. He waited to see if Jacob was going to pull away from him.

Jacob’s brain took a moment to realize that Paul had spoken to him. “Fine,” he slurred after what was probably a lifetime. “Sarah got hit on by this guy, but she wouldn’t talk to him.”

“Probably for the best,” Paul said, “We don’t really want her to get too attached to anyone new. Eventually all of this is going to be a memory for us. If we let her get too involved with anyone it could complicate things.”

Jacob was quiet for a long moment. His head came to rest on Paul’s back, and Paul thought maybe he had fallen asleep. “I guess,” Jacob acknowledged finally.

Paul heard something in his voice but chose not to acknowledge it. Without thinking he reached out and patted one of the hands circling his middle. “You want something to eat?” he asked. He motioned to the various sandwich stuff he had scattered on the counter in front of him. Jacob mumbled something behind him, but Paul wasn’t able to decipher what it was. He was about to ask when Jacob suddenly squeezed into him, hugging him tightly. “You headed up to bed?” he asked instead, trying to ease away from the man pressed up against his back, trying to worm away from the quite obviously hardening cock pressed to his ass.

“Not tired,” Jacob mumbled. He tried nuzzling into Paul’s neck but suddenly felt the other man slipping out of his grasp. He tried to follow him as Paul eased down the counter but nearly lost his balance.

Paul looked on as Jacob reached out to steady himself and put his hand directly into the tuna salad that Paul had been using to make a sandwich. He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as he watched the disgusted look on Jacob’s face as he examined his hand. Even drunk he’d realized that something was amiss. “Here,” Paul said, grabbing ahold of Jacob’s wrist and pulling him toward the sink. He turned the water on and began to wash the tuna salad off as best as he could while staying as far away as he could. He could feel the other man’s eyes on him as he determinately looked down at what he was doing.

“Are you mad at me?” Jacob asked suddenly.

Paul looked up suddenly. He couldn’t figure out the expression on Jacob’s face. Usually he could read him without much trouble, but there was something about the alcohol that was clouding his ability to understand his partner in crime. “You’re drunk,” he ended up responding.

“Since when do you care?” Jacob slurred defiantly. “You drink all the time.”

Paul sighed loudly. He turned the water off and took a step back. Being so close to Jacob didn’t appear to be a good thing at the moment. “You need to go to bed,” he stated firmly.

“Okay,” Jacob responded. He reached out and grabbed a handful of Paul’s shirt. “Come with me.”

“No,” Paul responded, trying to break his grip.

Jacob frowned at him. “Why not?”

“Because you’d regret it in the morning.”

Jacob looked at him blurrily. The words didn’t fully make sense to him. And he was too drunk to process the slight wistful note to Paul’s words. All he knew in that moment was the signals being sent to the lower portions of his anatomy. He pulled Paul to him and their lips connected almost painfully, but he failed to take time to notice, instantly deepening the kiss.

Paul told himself that he had tried to pull away and end things but in truth he leaned into it. He tried to pretend that it wasn’t somewhat worse that he was aware of what was happening or that Jacob would be upset in the morning. For reasons that he wasn’t willing and able to process at the moment, Paul wanted to kiss Jacob in that moment, wanted to touch him, be touched by him. His hands circled around Jacob’s back pulling him closer.

Jacob snaked his hand under Paul’s shirt and ran his fingers up the line of his spine as best as he could. His short fingernails scratched lightly as he racked them back down. The kept going once they reached the bottom of his back, running over the swell of Paul’s ass, He groaned into their joined mouths as he pulled the other man to him. They were pressed right up against each other as Paul’s tongue began to attempt to gain access to Jacob’s mouth. His lips opened slightly and their tongues mingled together rapidly.

Paul didn’t take the time to think about it as his hands eased down between them. He knew, even as he was in the process of snapping the button and unzipping Jacob’s pants, that he shouldn’t be pushing things further, but he couldn’t help himself in the moment. He heard the other man sigh heavily as he felt the release of pressure against his painfully hard member. Still, Paul stayed his hands if only because he was a little unsure that he knew what he was doing. He didn’t want to push things too far and Jacob pull away. He couldn’t explain why he didn’t want to scare Jacob away, but he knew that he didn’t want whatever was happening between them in that moment to end.

Jacob decided the pace was too slow and took advantage of Paul’s moment of indecision to follow his lead. Instead of pausing once he had gotten Paul’s pants undone, Jacob stuck his hand down them, grabbing ahold of the growing dick inside. He stroked it gently, eliciting a soft moan against their joined mouths.

Paul said nothing as he felt his pants being pushed toward the ground suddenly. The air hit his bare cock, but he hardly had a moment to comment on it before he felt Jacob pull away from their kiss. Moreover, Jacob seemed to have left him standing there with his pants around his ankles. He opened his eyes to see what was the problem and saw that Jacob and knelt down in front of him. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could Jacob had reached out and grabbed ahold of his dick and pulled it into his mouth. Paul hissed loudly at the sudden warmth circling him. Jacob swirled his tongue around the head rapidly. Paul had just started to realize that he was actually quite good at it when he pushed Jacob off of him slightly. As he kicked out of his pants quickly Jacob looked up at him clearly confused. Instead of pausing to explain, Paul sank down onto the floor beside him.

Jacob opened his mouth to speak but instead was silenced by Paul reaching out and easing his pants down some. His cock bounced out and was almost instantly seized in a firm grip. He sighed loudly. Paul’s fingers ran along his lips until they opened. Jacob sucked the digits into his mouth and made quick work of moistening them as best as he could. The alcohol clouded his mind enough for him not to notice the pain in his knees from knelling on the tile floor; it also masked the initial burn as Paul’s fingers, mere moments from being removed from his mouth, found their way up Jacob’s ass. Had he been sober, he no doubt would have asked for them one at a time, but as drunk as he was, he merely moaned loudly as he felt two fingers shoved inside him and begin scissoring him open.

Paul wasted no time trying to open Jacob up. He matched his strokes to the thrusting of his fingers and could tell that his partner was fast approaching the right place for things to move further. He was just getting into finding a nice rhythm when Jacob squirmed away from him.

Jacob eased off of Paul’s fingers and pushed his pants down all the way. They got caught on his shoes, which he hadn’t even remembered that he was wearing, but he wasn’t concerned. He pushed Paul against the nearest set of cabinets and immediately bent to take Paul’s cock in his mouth. He made sure that it was nice and slick before he eased off of it and prepared to position himself onto the other man’s lap.

Paul reached out and grabbed ahold of Jacob’s hips and helped guide him down. He gripped tightly as he felt his head slip inside of Jacob’s hole. The muscles squeezed him tightly as he eased himself inside. The pause he took after he bottomed out was as much to keep from coming and it was to help Jacob adjust. Soon it was impossible for either of them to stay still. Paul worked his hips up toward Jacob’s ass as Jacob snapped his hips down. The two men met each time with a loud hiss, each pulling the other closer and closer to completion.

Jacob moaned loudly as Paul reached between them and grabbed ahold of his leaking cock. Paul stroked it rapidly as their thrusts sped up. Jacob felt it as Paul started to come suddenly inside of him. He groaned loudly as Paul flicked his wrist just right and had Jacob coming too. His come splashed onto Paul’s shirt and he jerked through his orgasm, still riding Paul’s softening cock. He stilled as he finished coming and eased off of the other man. Jacob collapsed onto the floor not evening bothering to pull his pants up.

Paul looked over at the half naked man lying less than a foot from him. His eyes found Jacob’s limp, come stained cock and felt a certain satisfaction that he couldn’t pinpoint at the thought that he had been responsible for that. He sighed heavily as he pulled his pants up and crawled over to Jacob. “You ready for bed?” he asked.

Jacob opened one eye to look at him scandalously as Paul reached out and started to pull up Jacob’s boxers. Still, Jacob said nothing as his shoes were finally removed and his pants pulled all the way off. He didn’t resist as Paul pulled him to his feet and drug him up the stairs. His head had barely hit the pillow before he lost consciousness.

Paul looked on at him snoring softly and wondered how long into the night it would be before that utter contentment began to fade. He pushed his pants back off and pulled his shirt over his head before easing into bed. Jacob rolled over so that his head was laying on Paul’s chest. Paul’s eyes closed as he wondered if just maybe Jacob wouldn’t regret it in the morning.


	10. Two Years Gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know. I know. I'm always apologizing for my lack of promptly updates. I really have no excuse other than that I keep getting distracted, and by the time I realize that I haven't been updating for a considerable amount of time, it has been months. I am very much equal to the sentiment in the very first line of this this chapter. But I am determined to do better. In fact, I have plans to put the finishing touches on this by the end of the year. I will try to at least write another chapter this week. I've skipped towards the end a bit to set up how I am going to tie it altogether. There is still much to come though. Hope you guys like it.

Chapter 10: Two Years Gone

Time has a way of slipping away when you least expect it to. That's what Jacob thought at least. He looked out of the window absently as he waited for the cars in front of him to move forward. He sighed heavily. It had been over two years that he had taken that first step into the condo he shared with Paul. 'No,' he thought pointedly, 'The condo that Will shared with Billy.' It was more important now than ever that he remember that his life was a lie. A lie that he had crafted, nurtured, but a lie nonetheless. It was almost time, he knew that. It had been announced at last, the date, Jacob knew that soon Maggie would give the signal, and it would be time to pack up and leave. He always thought of it that way; it was easier than to admit what that would entail, the leaving part. He saw the flash of red lights in front of him and knew that it meant he must move forward. Ever forward. Towards home.

Paul paced the length of the bedroom he had been sharing with Jacob anxious for the other man to arrive home. He knew that it was reckless to leave work early, the kind of thing that could be telling when the time came, but he needed to talk to Jacob before Sarah came home. It was always better, he found, to handle discussions of what was to come without her nearby, just in case something could be overheard. They didn't have much time before her shift ended, and Jacob was running late.

The SUV rounded the corner onto their street. Jacob signed heavily as he pressed the button attached to his visor, bringing the heavy garage door up. The sight that met him unnerved him more than he could process. Frowning heavily he pulled in next to the little black car that Paul drove to work everyday, pressing the button to bring the door back down the second he'd placed his car in park. He bounded through the door into the condo but paused the second he crossed the threshold. Jacob knew that he needed to be smart about this. He took a deep breath and hollered up the stairs, "Billy?"

The shout was faint by the time it reached his ears, but the second the mutter reached his ears "Billy" took the stairs down to were his partner stood two at a time. Jacob looked up to where he stood a few steps from the bottom, worry etched in every line of his face. "I thought we should talk while we had a chance." He paused.

"We can talk anytime," Jacob responded wearily.

Paul seemed to weigh his words. "No. I meant Jacob and Paul should talk." If he didn't know any better, Paul would have thought that the worry on Jacob's face had deepened. "While Sarah is still at work," he added as an afterthought.

Jacob nodded, shutting the door behind him. He wound his way towards the living room without a look back to the source of the footsteps padding along behind him. He collapsed onto the couch before looking up at Paul; he smiled weakly. "I saw nothing along the route."

"That's why you were late?" Paul questioned.

"Of course."

His stance was rigid as he watched Jacob slump against the back of the couch. To an outside observer Jacob would have been the one of the pair to appear relaxed, but Paul knew that the man sitting before him was wound tighter than he was. He tried to read the expression on Jacob's face, but his face has become just as guarded as the rest of him. Paul considered what could have extracted this change from the almost happy man he had woken up beside. "It's time, I think, that we sit down and come up with a plan as to how we are going to bring this about."

"Right," Jacob responded.

Paul frowned down at him, but Jacob has taken to staring straight ahead of him. "I know that we cannot plan for every variable right now, but it is safe to say that within the next six months it will be time. We can't just wait for the signal anymore; it's here, the moment we have been waiting for." Paul couldn't help the slight hint of excitement out if his voice as he spoke; he also couldn't help but notice the small scoff that escaped Jacob's throat. "I'm sure that you're worried about things going wrong, but think of it this way, we have finally gotten to the home stretch, we're almost free."

Jacob half nodded to himself. "That's true," he muttered. "There's no use to get caught up in the," he paused as he wrapped him throat around the words, "details." He finished lamely. A sudden callousness gripped his insides. He turned his eyes back to where Paul stood in the doorway. "It's not all bad I guess," he added harshly, "I'll get to see Emma again." Had it been anyone else he wouldn't have noticed the slight change in expression, it came and went so quickly, but Jacob knew instantly that his words had struck a blow. A part of him wished to rise and take back everything he had said, say he was a petulant child just looking to wound, throwing a fit. The majority of him took a certain satisfaction in knowing that he had inflicted even a little bit of pain to a man who was always in control. He watched Paul closely.

Paul studied him just as closely. It wasn't in Jacob's nature to be vindictive, usually. He frowned deeply and walked around to the coffee table and sat down. The only thing that followed him as he walked was Jacob's eyes. Once he had sat down Paul met his gaze. "Is that what you want?" he asked harshly, "to see... her again?" Paul paused, not ready to address his inability to simply utter her name. "Is that what all this is about, seeing your girlfriend again? Now that it's here, the execution has been set, you're falling all over yourself with anticipation of seeing her once more?"

Jacob remained completely still as the words washed over him. Once the last word settled into his bones he asked, "And what do you want?"

"To deep throat your cock."

If this response shocked Jacob he didn't let on. He remained perfectly still for the space of a minute, obviously sizing up the man sitting across from him. Once his mind had come to whatever conclusion was necessary for action, he reached down and unbuttoned the khaki pants he'd worn to work then pulled the zipper down slowly until he reached its end. Jacob leaned into the back of the couch, never taking his eyes off of Paul, his pants gaping as he shifted back. It was strange, he knew, that he should react this way now opposed to how he would have acted six months before, or worse before that. Somehow the pair of them had shifted into an uneasy pattern of openness about what happened between them in the dark. It had been agreed upon, nonverbally, that either could initiate but neither could talk about it. They just did sometimes, as Jacob thought about it, and sometimes they didn't. They didn't mention it. It was fragile, this silent agreement between them, but it was important too, in ways neither of them struggled to understand. Jacob reached into his open pants and pulled out his half hard cock. He stoked himself lightly.

Paul surveyed him for a moment. He had spoken hastily, spoken because a part of him knew, had always known, that there was only one way to calm Jacob's nerves. He looked down at his partner's loose fist sliding slowly up and down his increasingly hardening staff. There was something about the sight that unnerved him. Desire. It was one thing to lose yourself in the heat of the moment, but this was somehow worse, to him. He wanted this. He had spoken quickly, without thinking, but Paul could already feel it, that dick heavy on his tongue. He loved it. He eased forward until he was off the table. He barely registered it as his knees touched the floor.

Jacob hissed slightly as Paul's lips circled his head. He reached out and tangled his hand in the other man's hair, pulling roughly, not caring that he was smearing precome in his hair. He pulled down roughly feeling his cock slide through Paul's mouth. He paid no attention as Paul gagged slightly as his tip hit throat. Paul relaxed into it, hollowing his cheeks and swallowing roughly. Jacob twisted his fingers roughly, wrenching out some strands as he bucked up into Paul's throat. He groaned loudly.

Paul struggled to catch his breath as he swollowed around the cock nudging the back of his throat repeatedly. He tried to ease back some, but every time he gained some distance from the mass of curls surrounding the base he would feel himself yanked forward roughly. He groaned around Jacob as he became slightly lightheaded, unable to catch adequate breath through his nose. Jacob's pace sped up, and Paul guessed he must be close. He sank lower, if that was possible, and swollowed hard repeatedly, struggling against the blackness.

Jacob groaned loudly once more as he felt his release building quickly. His thrusts became erratic as he felt himself start to come. He yanked Paul toward him as he shot down his throat. He felt the man gag slightly around him and pushed him away.

Paul felt the corner of the coffee table nick his back as gravity pulled him toward the floor. The impact startled him, the come slipping down his throat as he gasped for breath. The edges of his vision were still fuzzy as Jacob moved above him, and he was too out of it to move as the other man stepped over him. Paul breathed deeply, trying to keep from slipping into darkness as he sat sprawled out on the floor.

Jacob had made it all the way around the couch and stood in the doorway looking down at the man who knew him better than anyone and yet couldn't mask the surprise and hurt etched on his face. "Don't ask for things you don't really want," he said harshly and left Paul struggle to breathe normally once more.


	11. Six Months and Counting

Chapter 11: Six Months and Counting

Paul knew that they needed to sort out the details of what was to come. They couldn't just wing it and expect that everything would turn out correctly. He looked over the notes he had scribbled a year before he ever "became" Billy Thomas. There had been so many unknowns then, so much they wouldn't come to discover until those first months they lived next to Sarah. The list was very incomplete, so much they didn't know then. He remembered when he and Jacob first started watching her... Paul shook the thoughts away. He didn't want to think about that; he didn't want to think about Jacob at all. He swallowed automatically as he looked over his notes. He ignored the slight pang he got as he thought about sitting down with Jacob to write out the very pages he now held.

It wasn't news to Jacob that Paul was avoiding him. It was fairly obvious when he factored in the fact that Paul had found more and more elaborate excuses to spend time away from the condo, away from Jacob. He also knew that the only way they were going to make it through the next faze of the plan was if they set aside any differences that they may be having. Both men had reacted badly, Jacob was sure, upon finding out that they had less than six months to pull of the most important part of the plan. And maybe he had reacted worse, why he wasn't sure, but if he had, then it was probably his job to fix it.

Paul sat at his desk attempting to look like he was working on something other than the best way to abduct someone so that they could be tortured and killed by a serial killer. Not that he thought of it that way. He just knew that it was best that one of his coworkers didn't see his list. Maybe he'd be able to convince one of them that he was writing a book or something. He wasn't sure he'd be able to sell that though. Jacob could have; Jacob could sell almost anything. He was always so much worse with people than Jacob. At least he thought that Jacob was good with people. Maybe he wasn't so great after all. Not after what had happened. Paul shook his head again. He knew that he couldn't sit there and go back and forth, torturing himself over something as insignificant as Jacob being a little rough with him. It wasn't in Paul's nature to allow himself to get caught up in bullshit like that anyway. He frowned heavily as a suddenly knock rang out on his office door. He rushed to cover up the pages he had been looking over and then called for the person to come in.

Jacob pushed the heavy door open and slid in before he had even gotten the door open halfway. "Hey," he said simply as the door clocked shut behind him.

Paul sat staring at the man standing in his office as if he had never seen him before. "You can't be here," he finally said. "Someone could see you!"

Jacob raised an eyebrow and eased closer to the man sitting at the desk. "What are you talking about? Almost everybody here has met me. I'm your boyfriend, remember?"

Paul noticeably relaxed. "Right," he said, "I'm just stressed. I feel like we have too much to do before all of this is done." He shuffled the items in his desk around until he'd found the notes he'd been looking over. Once he had found them, he handed them to Jacob. "I figured we could start going over the plan. I know how you like to have everything planned out."

Jacob looked at the top page momentarily before returning his focus to Paul once more. "So you're back to wanting to rush off the second you can?"

Keeping in mind that the last time they had began to discuss this it had made Jacob was upset, Paul weighed his words carefully. "It's not that I'm trying to go anywhere," he began, "I just want to make sure that we have all our bases covered. You know full well that we can't screw this up."

Jacob seemed to think that over. "That's a good point," he admitted.

"I think that I'm just ready to get out of here. Take a vacation, you know." Paul inclined his head in the direction of the wall adjoining his office to the one next door.

Jacob nodded. "It's been all bad then?" he asked.

"It hasn't been a cake walk," Paul laughed.

"So that's why you're not coming?" Jacob asked, not quite looking at him. "You're just ready to go away?"

Paul looked at Jacob uncertainty for a moment. He looked cautiously at the far wall for a moment before deciding to respond quietly. "You know that I could be more help to Maggie and Rick if we separate. We'll have two cars once we meet up with Emma."

"Except that they will be looking for her car," Jacob pointed out. "It's better if you go to ground with us since they'll be looking for you too."

Paul sighed deeply. "We'll discuss this later. We still have plenty of time." He smiled weakly.

Jacob frowned but said nothing. Instead be turned around and left the office, his mind swirling with thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was a short one, but j kind of needed a bridge into the last chapter. The plan is for the last one to be pretty long though.


	12. Beforehand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had intended to do one long last chapter, but at the last minute I decided that it would be better divided in half. I still intend to put up the second half tonight though.

Chapter 12: Beforehand 

But six months was hardly any time at all. Especially when there is much to be done in order to make sure that everything fell into place correctly. Jacob wouldn't have believed that so much time could have passed when he walked back over to the place he had called home for so long. He knew as he stood in the bedroom that he had shared with Paul for going on three years, that the time had come to finally leave it for good. He wasn't sure how he felt about that as he carried the bags down to the car. The two bags that held every one of the paltry belongings that they were going to be allowed to take with them from this life into the one they had left behind. The prospect was more than he could consider.

Paul watched as Jacob moved from room to room. He knew that he should be watching the clock, making sure to stay alert in preparation for what was to come, but he couldn't bring himself to take his eyes off of Jacob as he moved. He was nervous, that much Paul could tell, but there was something else hidden in the slump of his shoulders that Paul couldn't put his finger on. He wanted to ask if he could help with something, but he knew better than to distract Jacob from whatever it was that had grabbed his attention, whatever it was that he was clinging to to stay on target. Paul knew that they were walking a fine line between who they were and who they pretended to be. He felt like he was watching the return of an old friend lost to him for so long. As Paul watched, every step Jacob took, more and more of Will slipped away. Paul wasn't really sure how he felt about that.

Everything had to be perfect. They needed to leave clues but not too many. They needed to be sure that they weren't followed too quickly. Jacob went over the plan in his head once more. Grab Sarah. Leave Norfolk. Drive to the bed and breakfast. Meet Joe. Hand over Sarah. Trade cars. Drive to the meting place. Wait for Emma. Drive to the house. Wait. He told it to himself over and over. It helped. Going over the plan always helped. Paul was never much for planning; Jacob liked plans. Paul always tried his best to plan for Jacob's sake. But this. There was too much that could go wrong. They needed to go soon. Jacob looked around the downstairs one last time. There had to be something yet to do.

Paul rose from his seat on the bed and made his way down the stairs. They needed to get ready to leave, do all their final checks. He rounded the corner into the kitchen and stopped dead. Jacob was on his hands and knees scrubbing the floor. "What are you doing?" Paul hissed. Jacob didn't look up from what he was doing. He continued scrubbing like there was a giant mess only he could see. Paul sighed loudly and squatted down next to him. "Jacob," he said softly, "what's wrong?" Jacob increased his speed; Paul could see at the edges where his palm had turned red from gripping the brush so hard. "We need to make sure we're ready to leave soon. We don't have much longer."

"It's dirty," Jacob responded.

"What's dirty? The floor?" Paul paused for a moment. "The floor is fine. You already cleaned. A lot. You don't have to clean anymore."

"People are coming over; we can't let people come with the house a mess." Jacob gritted his teeth as he scrubbed particularly hard.

Paul watched as he went over the same imperfection in the tile that had been a source of constant stress every other time Jacob had cleaned the kitchen. Over and over, the brush scrubbed into the tile, but the black mark remained as stubborn as ever. "Jacob," Paul said. He reached out and slowly pulled the brush out of his hand. "Jacob, I don't think they'll care if the kitchen floor is clean. The FBI isn't going to look at the floor." For the first time Jacob looked up at where Paul crouched. He looked like he was going to speak but Paul cut across him. "It's okay. We need to go. It'll all be okay." It took a minute but Jacob nodded and rose from the floor. Paul watched him head back upstairs before rising himself. they really needed to go.


	13. Aftermath

Chapter 13: Aftermath

One of the lights was out in the parking lot. That was not intentional. They had chosen it for many reasons, but even the three of them couldn't have known that one of the lights would be out, casting their meeting place into semi-darkness. It added a certain hint of fate to their plans. Something was looking up for them; they were less likely to be seen. Paul looked over at Jacob. If there was anything that was not going to plan, it was Jacob. Sure, he had done his part without any problems, but Paul could tell that something was amis. He opened his mouth to speak but reconsidered it. 'Are you okay' seemed like such s stupid question to ask.

Jacob stared out the front windshield. He tried to gather his thoughts into something somewhat resembling coherence. He was going to see Emma. That was what he needed to focus on. He would see Emma again. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain that he was dragging Paul along, but he was sure that they would work it out. They always worked it out. He just needed to focus on the positive. He would get to see her again. It had been nearly three years, too long. It was time that they get to see each other again. Focus on the positive. Not the fact that the FBI was trampling through their house. No. Not their house; Will and Billy's house. And Will and Billy were gone. Sarah was gone. "Jacob?" The voice shook him out of his revinene.

Paul frowned in the half darkness. He tried to study Jacob's face. There was something there he couldn't put his finger on. "Do you know what time she's supposed to be here?" he asked instead of the questions biting at his insides. Jacob shook his head. Paul shot him a questioning look. "How will be know when she's here then?"

Jacob sighed loudly and looked out into the distance again. "I haven't talked to her in three years Paul. The last time I saw her was the last time you saw her. No contact, remember? I just know to come here and wait."

Paul studied him again, but this time Jacob didn't look back. "None?" Paul asked disbelieving.

"None," Jacob responded. The pair laspsed into silence for a moment. Neither one knew how to communicate with the other in that moment, a first for them. Finally a car appeared to be about to turn into the parking lot. They both watched as it slowed and then kept going at its new pace. They both looked at each other, both clearly concerned. "Do you think they know we're here?" Jacob whispered. "That's wasn't Emma." He said the last bit as a statement; Emma knew where to meet them, she wouldn't have missed to turn.

Paul shook his head. "No," he said, "I think it was just someone looking for somewhere in particular. They probably aren't sure where to turn or something." His voice betrayed that he was just as concerned as Jacob that they had been found out. The car didn't seem to double back, making both men visibly relax. Jacob leaned back in his seat breathing deeply. "Are you okay?" Paul finally asked.

Jacob nodded thought he still looked shell shocked. "I just wish she'd hurry up," he muttered.

Paul frowned to himself. Of course, Jacob was concerned for Emma; he wasn't sure why he was so surprised. "I sure she's fine," Paul muttered.

"I just don't like being in the open like this," Jacob responded. "Any time now they are going to realize where we took..." he paused suddenly, "We just need to get on the road as quickly as possible."

Paul looked over at the man clearly barely holding it together. Somehow, as he sat there on the edge of entering his old life once more, he didn't feel so free. Here he was, waiting, hiding, doing all the things that he had sworn were behind him. And worse, he was going to have to see her again. He reached out and placed a hand on Jacob's shoulder. "It's alright. We'll be gone soon. We just have to be patient." Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Okay, so I'm the one who's not good at waiting, but that doesn't mean I give bad advice. Just relax."

Jacob reached up and patted the hand placed on his shoulder. He squeezed tightly before dropping his hand down into his lap. He twisted his fingers a couple of times and looked out into the darkness again. "Hey Paul," he said before he lost his nerve, "about before..."

Paul waited for Jacob to finish his thought, but when it appeared that he wasn't going to continue finished the thought for him. "You don't want Emma to know."

Jacob made no move to respond for a long time. "It's not that..." he trailed off again. "It just wasn't..." Jacob frowned and twisted his fingers again. "I just don't see why we would tell her," he finally finished.

Paul scoffed. "When have I ever talked about it?" he asked pulling his hand away from Jacob's shoulder. "Look, I don't understand you. Maybe I never have. I'm not sure why you insist that we pretend that nothing ever happened."

Jacob shook his head. "It wasn't like that."

"Yeah," Paul said, "it wasn't like that." He reached out again and rubbed the back of his hand against Jacob's face. He watched as Jacob's eyes closed slowly. He watched as an expression of absolute calm washed over his face. It saddened Paul to see and at the same time instilled in him the same sense of pure bliss. He couldn't pinpoint when they had fallen into this pattern exactly, but he found himself unable to pull away. He rubbed his hand against Jacob's cheek again. He knew that any moment they could be interrupted, but he couldn't stop himself. "I'm going to miss you," he said.

Jacob turned his head to look at him. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here, like always."

Paul shook his head. He considered the man sitting beside him for a moment before leaning forward and kissing him lightly. He pulled away and looked at Jacob sadly. "You're already fading away. Soon you won't be here anymore, not like that. And I know that it was nothing to you, you say, but it was something to me." Jacob opened his mouth to speak. Paul beat him to it. "I'm not saying it is one thing or another, just saying it was something to me. I don't want to label it or argue over what it could have been. I just accept it as it is. Simple as that. And I am going to miss that part of you. The part that was, with me."

Jacob worried his lip. He wanted to argue. Somehow the words didn't come. He opened his mouth to speak, but as the words formed on his tongue headlights blinded him. The car came to a stop a few feet away, and he didn't need full use of his eyes to recognize the figure emerging from the other car. He tore his eyes away to look at Paul, completely ignoring the small part of him not so happy to see her.

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A knock on the door startled Jacob out of his thoughts. He looked behind him to see Emma squeeze into the room. She walked over to him, and he knew that all he wanted was to see Paul again.

**Author's Note:**

> Includes a quote from "Prophesy" by Remy Zero


End file.
